Dragon Ball Super: A Breakdown of Bardock's Wish for His Sons
Dragon Ball Super's latest manga chapter has left longtime Dragon Ball fans with many questions about Goku's father, Bardock. The story of the "Granolah The Survivor Arc" has revealed just what a heroic pioneer Goku's father really was. Bardock broke ranks with the Freeza Force to save the latest surviving Cerealian (and one Namekian) during that planet's massacre – going so far as to fight a boss battle with evil warrior Gas that left Bardock tailless but unlocked a secret Saiyan power within him.
However, all continuity questions aside, one thing that really has Dragon Ball fans scratching their heads is a Dragon Ball wish Bardock made during his battle with Gas. Instead of ultimate power, or a way to escape, Bardock used his wish to ask the Great Dragon of Planet Cereal for something much broader:
According to Dragon Ball Super's manga translation, Bardock's exact words are "I'd wish that my sons end up thriving."
Those words (based on translation) have had a lot of Dragon Ball fans doing existential deep-dives into the nature of happiness and "thriving" and whether or not Bardock's wish came true for his sons Goku and Raditz. However, others are weighing in to make sure fans understand the finer points of the translation:
A lot of people seem to be taking Viz’s use of “thriving” to mean “permeant protection from all badness” or other things that go well beyond the original’s implications (which again is pretty much just “I wish they grow up fine”) pic.twitter.com/Y4tyoeRa31
— Todd Blankenship (@Herms98) April 23, 2022
So just to reiterate: Bardock's wish (and really, his deeper logic as a Saiyan) was to see his sons "thrive" through the act of simply growing up into strong men. Saiyan men were depicted as not even really having a strong attachment or caring for their offspring – save for in the area of strength. The fact that Bardock even made that wish is a pretty big departure for a Saiyan father to begin with, but the nature of it was definitely in line with Saiyan logic.
In any event, some fans are really going in with the claims that while the wish may have been fulfilled for Goku (whose power is now on the levels of gods and angels) Raditz certainly different "thrive" when he was killed in Dragon Ball Z. However, again, Raditz did survive the Saiyan genocide and grow to be a "successful" adult, relatively speaking. And technically it was only during a battle with Goku that he died. Not really sure how the rules of the wish work when it comes to brother-on-brother slaying. Even for all of Goku's hardships (and deaths) he's ultimately come back stronger and only increased in power and achievement – including in this current battle that's connected him back to the history and legacy of his father.
You can read Dragon Ball Super manga chapters free online.